October

It has been quite an October in Northern California. The human casualties and severe property damage caused by the devastating Oct. 17 earthquake, which has resulted in billions of dollars in financial losses, made it a "Red October." And the Oakland A's power hitting in the World Series resembled "The Missiles of October." Amazingly enough, the Russians weren't even involved. KENNETH L. ZIMMERMAN Cypress

Monday's "blood moon" total lunar eclipse was the first in more than three years to be visible from Los Angeles and uninterrupted by sunrise. Hundreds flocked to Griffith Observatory, cameras, cellphones and iPads at the ready to see the rare event. Some came hours before the lunar spectacle, but a hush fell over the balconies and grassy lawn as the eclipse began and onlookers jockeyed for prime viewing spots. In Los Angeles , the most impressive part began about 11 p.m. when the first "bite" was taken out of the moon.

Families of children with disabilities have sued Walt Disney Co. theme parks and resorts in Anaheim and Orlando, Fla., over a new policy allowing guests with disabilities quick access to rides and attractions. The suit, filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that the policy put in place in October is intended to discourage guests with disabilities from visiting the parks. Disney dismissed those claims. Before October, visitors with disabilities and their family members were given a card that allowed them to go directly onto rides, skipping long lines.

WASHINGTON -- New home sales dipped 0.3% in October and the government revised down its figures for September in a report that threw some cold water on the recent signs of a strong housing rebound. New single-family homes sold last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 368,000, down from a revised 369,000 rate in September, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Quiz: How much do you know about mortgages? The September figure was lowered from the initial 389,000 rate, which had represented a 5.7% jump from August and the highest rate since April 2010.

U.S. construction spending rose 0.8% in October from the month before, the fastest pace in more than four years, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Monday. Overall construction spending rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $908.4 billion, largely boosted by a 3.9% surge in public spending. Construction spending on public projects rose to an adjusted annual rate of $282.7 billion, up from $272.2 billion the month before. Photos: California's top livable cities Construction spending on residential projects, by comparison, declined 0.5% in October to $332.9 billion.

WASHINGTON -- The service sector, a crucial driver of the U.S. economy, expanded more than forecast last month as business activity surged in a sign the partial government shutdown was not a drag on sales, a widely watched index indicates. The Institute of Supply Management said Tuesday that its purchasing managers' index for the service sector rose to 55.4 in October from 54.4 the previous month. Economists had projected just a slight increase to 54.5. Index readings above 50 indicate the sector is growing.

WASHINGTON -- Consumer prices unexpectedly dipped last month, the first decline since the spring, driven by lower gasoline costs, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The Consumer Price Index fell a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in October from the previous month. The index had risen 0.2% in September and economists projected it would be unchanged last month. The index had not dropped since a 0.4% decline in April. QUIZ: How well do you understand the Fed stimulus? Over the previous year, prices were up just 1%. That was the smallest 12-month increase since October 2009, the Commerce Department said.

The Clippers are going international. The NBA announced on Monday that the Clippers and NBA champion Miami Heat will play two exhibition games in China in October. The Clippers and Heat will play Oct. 11 at MasterCard Center in Beijing and Oct. 14 at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. The games will feature plenty of All-Stars. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are the Clippers' two All-Stars and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are the Heat's All-Stars. ALSO: Clippers' Blake Griffin to have knee surgery today Carmelo Anthony calls Jeremy Lin contract offer 'ridiculous' Knicks' Jason Kidd facing drunk-driving charges after crashing his SUV

Meteorologists are calling it "June gloom" in October and say Angelenos will have to wait until the end of the week for the sun to reign supreme. "Kinda June-ish ... June gloom is here for the week," said Andrew Rorke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Rorke said temperatures throughout the week will be from around 70 degrees at the beaches to the upper 70s inland, and into the mid-80s in the valleys. He said there was no real chance of rain. Downtown L.A. on Monday was expected to have a high of 76. At Los Angeles International Airport, temperatures were forecast to reach 68 degrees.

Amid a rising tide of biblical movies this year, the Christian drama "Left Behind," starring Nicolas Cage, has been set for release Oct. 3 by Stoney Lake Entertainment, according to a Variety report. Based on the popular book series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, "Left Behind" is set on a commercial airliner in the immediate aftermath of the Rapture, in which millions of Christians have been transported to heaven while the rest of the world is plunged into chaos. Cage plays Ray Steele, a pilot trying to calm his hysterical passengers, land his damaged plane and get back to his family.

More Latinos are signing up for Obamacare coverage in California after a slow start, and the state is spending millions of dollars more on Spanish-language ads ahead of next month's enrollment deadline. The Covered California insurance exchange said Wednesday that 828,638 people overall have enrolled in private health plans through mid-February, and an additional 1 million Californians have been deemed eligible for an expansion of Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. The pace of enrollment has dipped since late December's peak level when thousands of applicants rushed to meet a deadline for Jan. 1 coverage.

Kianna Jackson disappeared first. The 20-year-old called her mother on Oct. 2 and told her she was taking the bus to Santa Ana from her home in Las Vegas for a court date. The next day she stopped answering her phone. Twenty days later, Monique Vargas, a 34-year-old mother of three, left her sister's birthday party, telling family she was walking to the market to buy groceries. They haven't seen her since. Another 20 days later, Martha Anaya, 28, asked her boyfriend to pick up their young daughter because she had to work.

MOSCOW - Once I came to Moscow to cover an urban ballooning expedition. In winter. But when the balloonists came face to frigid, wind-lashed face with the winter here - well, we never got off the ground. And so, as icy gales scoured the city, I strolled near the Moskva River until I faced a vast, low-hovering cloud, lighted from within, scented with chlorine and cigarettes. Occasionally, a near-naked Muscovite would emerge, dripping, and wander off to look for a towel and his pants.

A group of tenants in a Westside high-rise that was the scene of a dramatic fire in October are suing the building's corporate owner for negligence. Atty. Mark Geragos filed the suit Wednesday against Barrington Plaza and its corporate owner, Douglas Emmett. "The conditions at the supposedly high-end apartment building were atrocious," Geragos said. "Our goal is to try and get them to correct what I consider their outrageous conduct. " According to residents, several fire alarms failed to sound in the 25-story Barrington Plaza as the fire spread within a single apartment on the southwest side on the 11th floor.

WASHINGTON - Rising American exports and surging energy production at home are narrowing the nation's typically large trade deficit, lifting the growth prospects for the economy and the job market. For the second straight month, American exports of goods and services climbed to a record high, reaching $194.9 billion in November from $193.1 billion in the previous month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. California appeared to get an outsized share of the increases, based on a separate analysis of the Commerce data by Beacon Economics.

WASHINGTON -- Consumer spending dipped in October, the first decline in five months, as Superstorm Sandy took a big bite out of paychecks in the Northeast. Personal consumption expenditures fell by $20.2 billion, or 0.2%, last month compared with September, the Commerce Department said Friday. Income growth was basically flat in October, increasing $800 million, or less than 0.1%. Quiz: How much do you know about the 'fiscal cliff'? Both figures came in below analyst expectations of about a 0.1% rise in spending and a 0.2% increase in personal income.

Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, recently accused by a former top aide of pressuring her for sex and retaliating when she rebuffed him, was the subject of a 2005 criminal investigation in which a Pasadena massage therapist said Huizar groped her, according to records and interviews. At the time of the complaint, Huizar was president of the Los Angeles school board and was running for City Council. The Pasadena Police Department recently released a summary of its investigation in response to a state Public Records Act request by The Times.

WASHINGTON - Growing numbers of Americans are signing up for insurance through President Obama's health law, with more than 250,000 selecting a plan in November, according to a new government report. That is more than double the number in October, when problems with the new HealthCare.gov website made enrollment virtually impossible in most states for long stretches of time. Last month's tally is fueling renewed optimism among supporters of the Affordable Care Act who believe that fixes to the federal site will rescue the law, commonly known as Obamacare, from its disastrous debut.